Mary Christine Brockert, AKA Teena Marie, was born on March 5, 1956 in Santa Monica, California. Growing up in a neighborhood that was nicknamed “Venice Harlem” due to its heavy African-American population, she was a naturally talented dancer as a child. A little known fact is that she actually appeared on the television show “The Beverly Hillbillies” as a young dancer.
Teena Marie tap dancing on “The Beverly Hillbillies” as a little girl. #BabyTeena
Moving along though, her childhood nickname of Teena eventually morphed into Teena Marie, which the world would come to know her as(along with additional nicknames like Lady T, Vanilla Child, and Ivory Queen of Soul). She grew up listening to artists like Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan, the latter of which she often credited as her favorite artist, next to Smokey Robinson. All of these musical influences are evident in her work. For example, she regularly incorporated a jazz song on all of her albums, which was likely a nod to Sarah, while her talent for songwriting and composing was likely due in part to Smokey Robinson, who is easily one of the greatest, most prolific, and most successful songwriters ever.
With all of this said, it should be obvious that I am a huge fan of Teena’s. The song that did that for me was I Need Your Lovin’. Of course, I had grown up hearing songs like Square Biz, Ooo La La La, and Fire & Desire(her legendary duet with Rick James, which is one of my mom’s all time favorite songs). However, it was my first time hearing I Need Your Lovin’ that just stirred something up inside of me. It was then that I realized that her musicality was something serious. I consider it to be my favorite song by her, along with Deja Vu(I’ve Been Here Before), which I’ve written about in depth here. This is another favorite of my mom’s also.
Interestingly, I Need Your Lovin’ is from her third album, which was the first that she self-produced. By the time of its release, her fans had learned that she was white, as Motown purposely left her photo off of her 1979 debut album’s cover in an attempt to avoid alienating black audiences. Her second album Lady T(the first of two that she released in 1980) had removed the veil with its beautiful cover image of the singer. Also, she had performed on Soul Train with Rick James by this time, which was when a lot of the public learned that she was white.
On this note, I have to say that it has always blown my mind that she was not bigger than she was, simply because she was so talented. Great vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger. However, I know that “crossing over” wasn’t something she was concerned with doing. It is still such an interesting dichotomy in that she, as a white artist, is not as known to white audiences in general outside of her biggest crossover song Lovergirl.
At any rate, this entry will focus on a few of my favorites by Teena, featuring brief captions(at least I will try to keep them brief, haha) for each. PLEASE NOTE: My favorite songs by my favorite artists are often not their big singles and hits. (See my MJ post as proof.) However, the Spotify playlist that follows will include those in addition to the songs highlighted in this post. Happy reading and listening! You are in for a treat. Teena had CUTS!
“I Need Your Lovin'”: Again, this is the song that made me a diehard fan. Listen to that bass line! Then, there are the lush strings, horns, and percussion. Not to mention her vocals and the lyrics. By the time the modulation occurs just past the halfway point of the song, I am usually super hype and singing for dear life. I LOVE THIS SONG.
“Deja Vu(I’ve Been Here Before”: This breathtakingly beautiful song was written by Rick James. Both musically and lyrically, it takes me somewhere else. The melody is gorgeous, while the lyrics are deep and meaningful. It is a song about life and feeling as if one has “been here before”. The first time I heard it, I cried like a baby. My favorite lyrics from it are: “My soul feels like the universe. It’s vast and never ends. Stars to me are children. The babies are my friends.” I feel those particular words A LOT.
“Aladdin’s Lamp”: My favorite song on Lady T. First, there are her vocals. Then, there’s the unique arrangement; strings open the song before the pace of the song begins to alternate from a slower ballad tempo on the verses, to a more mid-tempo groove on the chorus twice, before the song ends in the slow groove that it started in. Lyrically, it is a beautiful take on love and a relationship on the rocks. The dreamy production of the song is reminiscent of something that Minnie Riperton would sing, which makes sense considering the album was co-produced by the late singer’s widower Richard Rudolph. Another connection here is that a young Maya Rudolph is featured on the closing interlude “Too Many Colors” on this album.
“365”: Some of my favorite lyrics EVER are from this song: “Life has taught me lessons like don’t dare to question fate, for God will do the gifting. All we’ve got to do is wait.” Such a lovely and profound, yet simple, way of thinking, especially about love and relationships. It’s such a sweet song in which she is professing love for her lover.
“Starchild”: The title track from her sixth album. I’ve always loved this song, especially the beat and melody. It’s a great example of funky mid tempo 80s R&B.
“I’m Gonna Have My Cake(And Eat It Too)”: This is one of Teena’s jazz standards that I mentioned before. You can really hear the influence of her favorite singer Sarah Vaughan on it. My favorite lyrics from it are “I’m a lady, yes I am, with my destination planned.”
“Where’s California”: One of my favorites from It Must Be Magic. It’s such a melancholy yet beautiful song about being separated from the person you love. The words “don’t it make you wanna break down and cry, over and over again, finding it hard to pretend”.What I take from that is how difficult it can be pretending like you’re okay when you really aren’t, especially as it relates to a romantic issue. This is also an exceptional vocal performance from Teena. It notably features background vocals by Maxine and Julia Waters, who also sang backgrounds on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album, and Donna Summer’s “Bad Girls” album. among others.
“Yes Indeed”: This is just a really relatable song for me. Simple meaning behind it is acknowledging that you love someone even though you know it can never work out between you two for whatever reason(s). Her vocals are so heartfelt, and the words are so relatable that it often makes me tear up. Patrice Rushen plays keys on it; Teena wanted her specifically.
“Sunny Skies”: Another jazzy track with heartfelt lyrics about a relationship gone awry. I can hear elements of Stevie Wonder in it, especially on lines like “when the autumn came, you went away, was our summer love a bit too hot for you to stay…?” because they remind me of lyrics from his song “Superwoman(Where Were You When I Needed You)”. The tempo change at around the halfway point of the song is everything, and then I can hear elements of “Ribbon In The Sky” as the song fades out. So lovely.
“Ooo La La La”: This one doesn’t need much explanation. It’s a quiet storm classic that’s been sampled to death, but it’s also a gorgeous song about, you guessed it: love and relationships. What can I say? Teena had a knack for writing about this topic. This song is about that one person who has the ability to turn your world “topsy turvy”, as she put it.
“If I Were A Bell”: A passionate profession of love, in which Teena sings “if I were a bell, baby I would ring. Tell the whole world that you are my everything.”
I am just going to stop there. Since March is Women’s History Month, I will likely either do a follow up entry on her at some point later this month, and/or continue to post some of her music on Instagram. Check out my specially curated Spotify playlist below.
I always learn so much from your posts. I never knew Teena Marie’s real name and I’ve loved her music forever.
She’s also a “baby boomer”…just a few years younger than me. I thoroughly enjoyed the post, especially the songs. Keep on sharing your love of music and that wealth of knowledge that you possess. May Teena continue to rest in eternal peace!
Thank you so much! I thought you’d like this one especially. 🤗 And yes, “baby boomers” have been some of the most gifted and talented artists of our time. ❤
I always learn so much from your posts. I never knew Teena Marie’s real name and I’ve loved her music forever.
She’s also a “baby boomer”…just a few years younger than me. I thoroughly enjoyed the post, especially the songs. Keep on sharing your love of music and that wealth of knowledge that you possess. May Teena continue to rest in eternal peace!
Thank you so much! I thought you’d like this one especially. 🤗 And yes, “baby boomers” have been some of the most gifted and talented artists of our time. ❤